Prior to the creation of LDDI, the Via Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech offered one course in Land Development Design. This course, CEE 4274, was only offered once per academic year and suffered from frequent instructor turnover. Through the efforts of LDDI, the 2011-2012 academic year provided CEE students with a total of six different courses, eight sections of land development course offerings! Find out more about these courses below.

DesignThe purpose of this course is to provide students with an overview of the land development design process, integrating multiple disciplines of civil engineering, such as transportation, water resources, environmental, geotechnical, and construction. The course will also introduce students to the unique manner in which land development engineers must consider planning, environmental, and sustainability issues.

The course is intended to provide the student with an understanding of the field of municipal engineering and the important role of the municipal engineer in planning and managing large public projects, as well as operating and maintaining public infrastructure and services such as transportation, sanitary sewage, storm water, and drinking water systems. Municipal engineers are engaged in supporting community disaster response to local emergencies such as flood, snow and hurricane disasters and are actively involved in ensuring safety in all operations. Another major facet of this course is presentation of the process by which private development is planned and regulated by municipalities.

Sustainability is the study of how we can interact with our environment in a way that: 1) does not deplete renewable resources in quantity or quality and, 2) maintains a high level of environmental stewardship, while balancing social and economic needs. Sustainable Land Development alters the use of a parcel of land into another use that is economically and socially beneficial while seeking to maintain the pre-development quality of environment.

CEE 4274 provides students with an overview of land development projects including planning and design factors, construction practices, legal issues, and government policies. Computer based design assignments facilitate the understanding of land development planning and design. Design teams are mentored by practicing professionals on real world projects from the feasibility & conceptual design all the way through final plan preparation.

CEE 4284 is unique in the academic community in that is coordinated by a tenured University faculty member, but taught exclusively by three teams of industry professionals. This arrangement ensures that course content and structure meets University requirements while simultaneously exposing students to front line issues facing the industry. This course is offered every other spring semester on alternating Friday evening/Saturday mornings, and expands upon topics introduced in the CEE 4274 (Land Development Design) course by providing more in-depth study of site grading, Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) site design requirements, erosion and sedimentation control, and stormwater management including application of water quality best management practices (BMPs). Re-design of this course is in progress for Spring 2013.